Forgivness Requires Regret
by LogicalPremise
Summary: Naruto , after the battle with Pain, is trying to come to grips with his emotions about the Village, his father, Hinata, Sakura, and fate. Unfortunately, he's not quite as happy with the outcomes as people expect him to be. No real pairings, although onesided Naru/Saku and onesided Shino/Hina. Some swearing, some mild gore.
1. Chapter 1 : Shino's Inquiry

_May be a one shot, maybe not.. The rapid turn around of the way the village reacted after Naruto won against Pain, and Hinata's confession, bothered me for a long time. I don't know where I'm going with this, but I wanted to get it out. I see Naruto as smarter than people see him as, but hiding it to prevent people from holding that against him, and more emotionally unstable and wounded than he lets on. _

_Don't own Naruto, characters, blah blah, Kishmoto owns it all, blah blah, Godtrees. _

* * *

The last filtering rays of sunlight speared through clouds on the horizon, casting the forest edge into a cascading panorama of golds and reds. The wind shuffled through the leaves, a calming intermixture of sound and motion that felt right to the young man sitting on the rough, broken surface of a piece of rubble.

The Hidden Village in the Leaves was a wreck, a vast ring of debris and shattered housing smashed up against it's once mighty walls. Only the outer estates – Uchiha , Hyuga, Senju – and some of the outlying industrial facilities were intact. The rebuilding had been going on for almost two weeks now, aided by returning shinobi and Yamato-sensei's incredible mokuton wood-crafting, but progress was slow.

Tired after spending hours with hundreds of kage bushin to help with repairs, Naruto Uzumaki had withdrawn to the edge of Kohona, to think, to rest, to consider the path of his life.

For many, he would seem to be doing 'better'. After years of cold neglect, of accusation and hatred and fear, he was now the Hero of Kohona. He had defeated Pain, the leader of Atasuki, and ensured that everyone killed in the attacks was returned to life. He'd discovered his father was the Fourth Hokage, that his father had faith in him.

He'd discovered that a beautiful Hyuga princess loved him enough to die for him.

And yet, the young man – no longer a boy – was bitter and almost depressed. His smile was wry as he flipped over the battered book in his hand – _Tales of a Gutsy Shinobi _– and the smile slowly turned into a sneer.

Propaganda. Live for your village. Die for your village. Don't ask why. He'd lived his whole live by these rules, this nindo. Never giving up. Always following your word. Never surrender.

Yet, these rules had cost his father and mother their lives. It had claimed the live of Jiraya, the man Naruto looked up as a father. It had resulted in war and death for centuries. Nagato's words echoed strongly in his head.

"_Dying like trash… never ending hatred… pain that never heals… that is war… Naruto… this… is what you must face… The book… and you… It's like… someone… set this all up…"_

A life spent in scorn and loneliness , shielded only by fake smiles and truly cared for by only a few, had given Naruto a sense of … hesitance. His experiences with how hiss own village had used him in the Blood Prison incident, in how they'd hidden the truth of his linage, of how quickly they moved past the fall of Uzu...

Naruto rubbed his eyes. He had finally gotten his acknowledgment from the village...and it felt hollow now. The man he looked at as his brother was still gone. The girl he wanted to see him for who he was saw him as a silly brotherly figure.

And Hinata... he was angry, most of all, at her.

Even as he thought of her, there was a rustle in the brush behind him, and Naruto stood, casually letting a hand fall to his side near his kunai pouch. A moment later his eyes widened as the figure who emerged. "Hello, Shino."

The other teenager stood , quietly, his black coat soaking up the fading sunlight, eyes hidden behind dark black shades, the high brim of the coat concealing his face. "You have been a hard person to find, Naruto-san. Why am I looking for you, you ask? Because Hinata-sama has been out of the hospital two days, and yet you have not seen fit to communicate with her."

Naruto's cerulean eyes narrowed before he gave a laugh and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ano, well I've been busy helpin' out Yamato-sensei with my kage bushin! And doing d-ranks for baa-chan to -"

Shino gave an exasperated sigh, the most emotional sound Naruto had ever heard from the pale Aburame. "Please, Naruto-san. I do not have time for your facade of well-meaning bumbling. My insects can smell actual pheromones and electrical fields. You are not capable of fooling me the way you have my peers. You are angry. I wish to know why."

Naruto's face went suddenly , terrifyingly blank. "Why should I tell you? You've never been concerned before. You've never cared to ask before. You wouldn't be asking _now _if it weren't for Hinata."

Shino paused before nodding. "I acknowledge that. That does not invalidate my question or my intent to determine an answer, but to accede to your request … I wish to know because Hinata-sama is distraught at your .. lack of response." He paused. "More than a few people saw her bravery in attempting to stop Pain. They saw her struck down."

Naruto said nothing , so Shino continued. "I do not believe that you were blind to her feeling for you, Naruto-san, and so I ask again – why have you not communicated with her?"

Naruto fixed Shino with a hard look. "By now, I expect the whole village saw what I .. turned into. And what I am."

Shino nodded calmly in return. "You are the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. This explains why you were treated with such caution in your youth -" Shino broke off as Naruto threw back his head in bitter laughter.

"Caution? Caution! HAHAHA. Oh, that's just rich, bug-boy. I was ostracized every since I was born, Shino. Thrown out of stores. Sold expired food. Ignored when I walked down the street. The instructors at the Academy didn't want to teach me anything. I had to teach myself to read and write, to cook, to fend for myself!" The voice grew hard, cold. "I no one to believe in me. My genin team? My teacher Kakashi taught me _nothing _but the basics of tree-walking, and then complained with Jiraya taught me new skills. I stopped Gaara, beat Neji, beat Kiba – and I wasn't promoted to chunnin. I fought as hard as I could to please this village and they did nothing!"

Shino stood unmoved. "They have seen that they were wrong, surely. They now hail you as a hero -"

Naruto's voice grew flintier. "Shino, am I really supposed to be grateful that , after defeating singlehandedly a nin who handed the entire village their ass AND getting everyone to come back to life , that they finally think I'm an actual human being and not a monster? Have I been promoted? Have I been offered training? No. I'm told to go slave away at repairing the village... and then, I suspect, they'll just try to lock me up somewhere."

Naruto shook his head in disgust. "As for Hinata... I was alone my whole life. Never hearing the words other people get, about people believing in them. Never being told I matter. Never knowing someone cared, or loved, or even thought about me. She claimed she watched me all these years, and I knew that. She claimed she loved me. Yet she was perfectly content to just watch me and take some kind of sick inspiration from watch me struggle and not even be decent enough to tell me what she felt?"

Naruto spat. "As cruel as Sakura-chan can be, as blind as she can be, at least I know she actually cares about me and told me the truth about how she felt. As heartless as Sasuke was, I know now that he was willing to give up a very important power by leaving me alive when we last met, rather than kill his friend. Hinata is worse than a coward, she's willing to let me suffer and think I'm alone while proclaiming she loves me."

Shino said nothing for a long moment. "Your words are bitter, but not rational. The village may have committed it's sins, but we Aburame are familiar with being seen as something less than human. That is merely life. You have proven you are not a dead-last, or a monster. Can you simply not accept their acknowledgement and move on from whatever bitterness you feel? You say you have never been loved. Is it not better to reach out for that than spurn it?"

Naruto shook his head. "I learned something in my battle with Pain that , maybe, I was better off not knowing. If I'd never figured it out, I'd probably be happy with how things turned out. But I'm not a pawn for Fate,just like I told Neji." Naruto glanced up at the bug-user.

"If Hinata wants me to talk to her, she needs to have enough fucking spine to actually come to me face to face. People I thought I could trust and admire have lied to me all my life, hidden things from me all my life, and their excuses are shit. Pain had some twisted ideals about killing and suffering, but he had one thing right – we're never going to find peace when the entire fabric of society is built around ninja villages and killing and warfare."

Naruto turned his back on Shino. "Tell her whatever you like. I have way more important things on my mind right now than silly girls with a crush."

Shino stood there silently for several seconds before leaving as silently as he came, leaving the clearing empty except for Naruto, watching the last light in the sky slowly fade into twilight.


	2. Chapter 2 : Danzo's Amusement

_Danzo, oh Danzo. Why make you a cardboard cutout of a villain when you can be so much more … nuanced?_

_Yes, Naruto's kind of an asshole. Then again, which is better? An asshole, or a dupe?_

_Don't own Naruto, characters, blah blah, Kirabi can't rap cuz he's a big sap, blah blah. _

* * *

The village of Kohona was bustling , as repairs continued at speed. Hundreds of blond-hair figures dashed about, clad in red coats with black flames, aiding Yamato in rebuilding the city as fast as possible. After only three weeks, the temporary hospital was complete, as well as the market, over three thousand units of temporary housing, five warehouses, and a smaller , shorter tower that served as the Hokage's office.

In said office, seated on a comfortable chair sipping green tea, was the temporary Hokage, Shimura Danzo. And sitting before him , hands on knees, was one Uzumaki Naruto.

The 'office' was almost constrictedly small, barely ten feet across and perhaps twenty wide. Racks of mission scrolls and hastily salvaged records were crammed haphazardly into one corner, while patrol maps and survey charts dominated the south wall. The broad bay window looking out over the village was itself heavily etched with security and strength wards.

Danzo spent several seconds reviewing the scroll in his hands before his good eye flicked up to take in the shinobi before him. The leader of ROOT had spent years keeping a very close eye on the jinchuriki before him, going so far as to having assigned two ROOT ANBU to watch over him full time. Danzo had no intention of trying to put the young man into his ROOT forces. While controlling a jinchuriki and crafting into a weapon had it's upside, the time for that had been right after the boy's birth.

No, Danzo had a better idea in mind. He'd not become the "Darkness of Shinobi" by mere power, but by his skillful and insightful understanding of human nature, emotions, and reactions. His understanding of such was why he worked so hard to eliminate it in his ROOT – emotions were the most lethal weakness a shinobi could have, one that there was no real defense against except by removing them entirely.

Danzo suppressed a smile as the boy in front of him shifted nervously. "Ano … Hokage-sama? You called for me?"

Danzo set down his cup, the delicate chink of porcelain just the right tone to indicate satisfaction. Of course, the subtleties of tea ceremony would be lost on the figure before him, but excellence required perfection at all things and at all times. "Yes, I did, Uzumaki. I have been reviewing the records of the council, and of the Fifth Hokage."

Naruto shifted again. "Is ba.. um, Tsunade-sama going to be alright?" The teen gave Danzo an untrusting look, almost sullen in it's intensity, and Danzo's internal mirth increased.

_Oh, Hiruzen, you fool. You might as well have put the boy in ROOT back when he was a tyke if you were going to leave him this vulnerable. _

Outwardly, Danzo merely nodded. "I have no fear that she will recover...and reclaim her position. I am an old man, and the requirements of Hokage, I fear, are beyond my stamina."

Naruto stared at him, belatedly remembering to remove the shock from his face. Danzo couldn't help himself and chuckled dryly, locking eyes with the boy. "You suspected I would try to steal the position from her? Maybe name myself Rokudaime_?"_

Naruto bit his lip, unsure of what to say, and Danzo merely smiled – he'd at last managed to copy that stupid grandfatherly smile Hiruzen always made look so effortless and natural. "I freely admit that , at one time, the office of the Hokage was my goal. I had … disagreements .. with the direction and the goal of the Third's teachings, as well as the Fourth's naivete."

Naruto frowned. "Jiji .. wanted peace."

Danzo snorted. "I want peace also. But I am not fool enough to think it comes without cost. Hiruzen wanted peace at the cost of ignoring reality. He wanted peace without understanding that others had no want or desire for peace – and worst of all, he wanted peace without being willing to make the ugly sacrifices that would be required to bring it about. He was too soft. That's where I came in."

Danzo stood, slowly, in a dignified fashion. "I committed the crimes Hiruzen was too .. weak-willed .. to do. I made the executions he was too kindly to oversee. Hiruzen let Orochimaru go because he was weak. He let the Fourth die because he was weak. He allowed the situation that lead to the Uchiha Massacre because he was weak."

Danzo half turned, fixing his gaze on Naruto. "He left the son of the Fourth to suffer in an orphanage, alone, unloved, because he was weak. He let that boy struggle to prove his loyalty to a village that spat upon not only him, but his father's sacrifice, because he was weak. His precious pupil, Tsunade-hime, let that same boy languish, unpromoted, unchampioned, because she bought into his ridiculous philosophy and was weak. She sent out the man who trained you, Jiraya, to die alone … because she was weak. And Jiraya died at the hands of his own student... a student he abandoned, because he, too , was weak."

Danzo exhaled. "I have decided that, honestly, anything I would do as Hokage would be seen as tyrannical or wrong, because people are so very used to weakness after so many years of it."

Naruto was silent, but his fists were clenched. "Baa-chan isn't weak -"

Danzo snorted. "She spent more than a decade drunk and gambling and terrified of blood because she lost a brother and a boyfriend. I lost my wife, FOUR sons, and a quarter of my family to enemy action. Spare me, boy." His eye wandered over the skyline of the village, before taking in the crater rim beyond. "If there had been strength anywhere in this entire debacle, we wouldn't be having this conversation in a damned crater that stood where Kohona once sat."

Danzo turned back to face Naruto. "And that is why, I think, it is best if I am not Hokage. These people don't want to be strong. They want someone to do it for them , and I'm tired of being the darkness. I'm tired of training tools for the village to die unappreciated. I am tired of being told that my patriotism is somehow offensive, when the weakness of others brought us to ruin. And I am sick of hearing about the Will of Fire." Danzo gestured to the scroll on his desk. "A mere glance at your career shows me the hypocrisy in this village is such that the cure would kill the patient."

Naruto sighed and shrugged. "So , why am I here? I … I sort of agree with you, Hokage-sama, but I'm just a genin."

Danzo broke out in a guffaw.

Naruto's eyes widened , as the man nearly bent double with laughter before leaning heavily on his cane. "Ah, I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Genin, indeed. What kind of genin defeats not one, but three S-rank missing nin? What kind of genin defeats a jinchuriki in full expression without even using his own bijuu? What kind of genin masters A-ranked combat ninjutsu in a week?" Danzo snorted. "The weak fools of this village may be willing to ignore you, but I will not."

Danzo sat. "First, effective immediately, I am promoting you to jonin. I have already informed the council of this and disregarded any negative statements in doing so. You should have been promoted long, long before this. Second, I will be announcing your heritage in the next week. The fact that it has been suppressed for so long is criminal, but having the announcement will boost morale – and may give the enemies of the village pause. "

Danzo pulled a scroll from a pile on his desk. "Third, we have the .. effects .. that Minato Namikaze left for you. The man was not rich, he had a small home that was destroyed in the Kyuubi attack, and he had no clan holdings. There's a fair sum of money – a couple of million ryu – and a supply of some jutsu scrolls, including notes – incomplete notes , mind you – on the Hirashin. They are yours." Danzo pushed them across the desk and Naruto took the scroll dazedly. "Finally, assuming Tsunade does not awake in the next two weeks, I will be pushing for you to become the RokudaimeHokage."

Naruto's expression was blank, yet tense. "Why are you doing all of this?"

Danzo smiled. "I could , I suppose, make up a convincing sounding lie. But I would prefer to tell you the entire truth and have you decide on your own."

Danzo stood again, facing the far wall with it's maps. "I want you to give me something in return. A reactivation of a program known as ROOT. A program that creates ANBU level ninjas, answerable to me, to perform otherwise illegal blackops. I want funding. I want labs. I want you to give me your ear in counsel and at least give some credence to what I say. And I want you to give the same courtesy to my successor."

Danzo smiled. "I have made preparations for a day where I could be the Hokage...only to realize, bitterly, that when the day comes, the majority of the ninja corps is poisoned against me, thinking me an unfeeling warmonger. Hiruzen outfoxed me in that regard. I could take the reins .. and even , using what I know and what I can , convince people to side with me, but I cannot and will not risk civil war in Kohona."

Danzo faced Naruto again. "You, on the other hand? You are already popular, you just saved the village, you were clearly in the favor of two of the Sannin, and once your heritage is announced, the entire council will wet themselves trying to curry favor with you."

Danzo nodded, as if to himself. "And yet .. I suspect you are not weak."

Naruto looked up, and Danzo's expression became grim. "You've been told of the Will of Fire and of how Kohona's teamwork is it's strength … and you've seen the lie of that statement, no? Of how the village doesn't discriminate against those with kekkei genkei … yet discriminates against you for being the jailor for the Kyuubi."

Naruto's expression darkened, and Danzo smiled internally as he continued. "Hiruzen did what he could, I suppose, for you. But it wasn't very much, was it? The taunts, the being ignored, the rudeness of the shopkeepers."

Danzo sighed. "For what it is worth, the fact that you continued to defend this village, despite the utter lack of appreciation, is what makes me think you will be a good Hokage. But more than that, you are smart enough and have endured enough to realize that the light Hiruzen preached about was a lie. A lie for other people, a lie for people who don't have to deal with the real world."

This was the moment. Danzo waited patiently, knowing the boy was thinking it over. His frustration and pain and anger, and Danzo's sudden gifts and acceptance. Emotions, indeed, were a weapon that no shinobi could deflect or parry.

He didn't need the boy to be an emotionless weapon, if he could convert him to his own way of thinking. He hardly needed to throw false praise at the boy, just reward him appropriately. The idiocy of the civilian council, thinking the boy would be delighted to just be accepted, was his gain.

Naruto finally spoke. ". . . so what is your .. nindo?"

Danzo closed his good eye. "I want peace for the ninja world, but I am not fool enough to believe that those who have power will surrender it for the sake of peace. Diplomacy requires goodwill on both sides. Negotiation requires concession and sacrifices. Power only requires a will." He paused. "I am willing to undertake any act to protect my village. I am without pity or remorse."

Danzo opened his eye again. "To be a shinobi … is to sacrifice oneself. To surrender love, for determination. To sacrifice light, to embrace night. Closing your eyes to the sunlight, distinguishing yourself in the shadows. That is the true form of ninja. Many ninja have died like that. For every hero, every Minato, every Hashirama...there were a hundred to die thankless, alone, and in the dark."

Naruto frowned. "But can't peace be achieved without … force? That sounds too much like Pain."

Danzo shook his head. "Young man, you will find that niceties… will not make the world go 'round. It's thanks to those who labor in darkness that we have been able to maintain peace for so many years. And this is hidden from the common people. Sheep do not lead the shepherd. The bonsai tree is shaped by cutting and removing branches, not by talking kindly to it."

Danzo paused, smiling thinly. "I have done things that others could and would consider crimes against natural law. I have mutilated myself, participated in dark experiments, and committed horrible acts. I do not do this for _power, _or for glory. I did it because no one else would do what had to be done. That is what it means to be Hokage. To sacrifice when no one else can. Every single Hokage has died doing that, because that is the nature of the job."

Naruto stared at the scroll in his hands. "Even if they don't appreciate the sacrifices you make?"

Danzo nodded. "It's best if they don't appreciate it. They can't understand what it is like, and they would judge you on what they refuse to accept in their own heart. Peace … requires sacrifice. I want a peace that is dominated by a world where such sacrifices are no longer necessary."

Danzo gestured to the map on the wall. "Suna's Will of Wind says the shinobi world is ephemeral and survival is all that matters. To them, peace is merely a pause to gather breath and water. Iwa's Will of Stone says that the shinobi world is a tool. To them, peace is merely time to prepare for the next war. Kiri's Will of Water implies that the shinobi world is illusion, that peace itself is a lie and that power and deception are all that stop us from becoming bloody lunatics. Kumo's Will of Lightning is nothing more than bloody-handed fascism , the bold statement that dominance and power is correct and that might makes right."

Danzo tapped his cane sharply against the floor. "Only Kohona says that love is the key to peace. That our role is to usher in and protect the next generation , and that our lives are sacrificed to protect. That is why I will do any act, kill, murder, assassinate, poison, and uproot. I will gladly be the shadow...so that others may live in the light."

Danzo closed his good eye again, smiling faintly. "That , is the essence of shinobi. We are tools , but we are tools to be used for the betterment of our village."

Naruto sighed. "It's just hard for me to want to sacrifice myself for a village that has acted the way it has towards me. I.. appreciate what you've decided to do-" He broke off as Danzo raised his good hand.

"Naruto, I gave you the promotion and told you my plans because those things should have been done long ago. Letting you go through your life never knowing your parents, your heritage, your roots .. was cruel, even to my way of thinking. It saved us nothing – and wounded you for life. I cannot make up for the village's stupidity, or the blindness of it's leaders. I can try to move you onto a path where one day you can show them how wrong they were. A path your father would have approved of. And a path without the simpering weakness of the Third that led to this mess in the first place."

Danzo sighed. "If I had been Hokage...Orochimaru never would have escaped or gone rogue in the first place. The Sannin would have stayed in the village. There would be no Pain to destroy it, and you never would have had to endure the pain you have encountered. I can't fix that. I can try to make you see what can be so that YOU can prevent anyone else from suffering as you have suffered."

Naruto nodded, his expression one of confusion. Danzo thought back to his memories of Hiruzen...and laughed inside as he placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, smiling Hiruzen's gentle smile.

"I am proud of you , Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto. You are indeed your father's son." And the almost broken look of gratitude and emotion in the boy's eyes was the victory Danzo was looking for.

_Ah, Hiruzen, if you could only see me now. Would you approve, I wonder .. of course not. _


	3. Chapter 3 : Hinata's Fear

_Hinata is weak._

_Hinata is strong._

_Hinata is frightened of what may happen._

_Hinata has very little left to lose._

_Hinata is one of the more admirable characters in the series. It takes a certain kind of sick mind to interpret what she feels towards Naruto and how she acts as somehow "**harmful**"._

_Say it with me... Naruto is a dick. In fact, this may end up being the first and only Naruto bashing story in history that's not some kind of Sasuke – Sakura lovefest (or SasuOro yaoi fantasy)._

_… I should totally do SasuOro, just to freak people out._

_Don't own Naruto, characters, blah blah, Susanoo-enchanced mokuton is just cheap, blah blah._

* * *

Hinata sat on the edge of her bed, gazing out of her window at the twinkling stars in the night sky. Alone.

She was still recovering from the horrific injuries inflicted on her by Pain's Tendo Path. Being slammed around had fractured many of the bones in her body, and it was a miracle she's survived being stabbed and nearly drowned in the aftermath of her abortive attempt to rescue Naruto.

Even now, discharged from the hospital, her body felt weak, soft, broken. Much like her spirits. Much like Kohona itself , she supposed.

Shino-kun, always so stoic and careful, had tried to lessen the blow of the words, but Hinata _knew_ what they would be, and was hardly surprised at them. Kiba-kun was angry, of course, but his anger had a almost guilty undercurrent to it. A reluctance to do or say much of anything.

But, of course, she understood that. Kiba's little crush on her was almost as hopeless as her's was on Naruto.

Hinata reached over to the dresser and took her comb, drawing it through her smooth locks, a calming ritual. She had vague, faint, warm memories of her mother combing her hair, the gentle, loving sound of her voice. Sometimes, that was the only warmth and love in her entire life.

Her father's icy demeanor she understood. She had only to glance at portrait of her mother to see why it was hard for him to even look at her sometimes, as she looked almost exactly like her mother. His heart was already broken by the death of his twin, and the death of his wife was simply too much for a man who never really understood his emotions anyway.

Her sister's anger and frustration she understood, too. Hanabi was jealous of Hinata, because people liked Hinata. People called her gentle, and elegant. Hanabi was little more than anger and resentment in a tiny package, pushing everyone around her away because she held herself above them and yet desperately lonely at the same time. Worst of all, Hanabi _knew _Hinata was the stronger. Hinata simply refused to hurt her sister, and that was the only reason she lost at all.

If there was any doubt of that, facing down a S-rank criminal who just wrecked the village and managing to land a hit on him dismissed such doubt.

Hinata understood many things people didn't think she did. She had understood Neji-niisan's anger and frustration. She understood Shino's fear of emotion. She understood why Ino pretended to be shallow, secretly hurt more than she'd ever admit that Shikamaru had started dating some other girl from Sand. She understood Choji's goodnatured acceptance of whatever would come, his fear that he wasn't really as strong as his father.

She understood , most of all, Naruto's pain.

Shino's relayed words had hurt. "He wishes you to find the strength to come to him on your own, or to .. find another path for yourself. He is very bitter at people only appreciating him at this time and not before"

Oh, she understood. She cried to herself after hearing them, knowing that she deserved it.

Because in it's own way, what Naruto-kun said was the truth. She'd seen him struggle. She'd been rescued by him, inspired by him, motivated by him, acknowledged by him.

And what had she done for him in return? Nothing.

She'd drawn inspiration from him, and never let him know how much he meant to her. She'd followed him, seen him ignored, rejected, and lonely, and instead of reaching out to him, had let her own fears of rejection and meekness keep her away. She'd seen him hopelessly chasing after Sakura because at least she , at times, showed him some level of affection .. and instead of letting him see her like that, she let her nervousness make her silent.

And instead of trying to show that she had changed – that she was strong – that she meant what she said about her nindo – she'd proven her own words a lie, by moping about and crying and wishing he'd magically show up and take her into his arms.

With a sigh, she laid the brush down. She glanced again at the sky, and the glow from the village below. The Hyuga Enclave, set outside the walls proper, had survived Pain's attack with only minor damage. The gardens were a mess, the outer wall shattered, but the main halls were intact and most of the outlying buildings only had cosmetic damage.

Tomorrow, Naruto-kun and Yamato-san were supposed to arrive to fix the outer Hyuga wall. Tomorrow would be her chance, to say what she wanted to say, to …

She broke off from her thoughts, at the sound of a rustle in the courtyard below. Her hand snaked down to the kunai holster on her leg, even as she directed chakra through her system.

"Byukugan!"

The world fell away from color into greyscale, expanding in all directions. The courtyard became as bright as day, illuminated by a blazing star of chalk-white and bright blue chakra, chased here and there with flickers and flames of black-red. A chakra she knew almost as well as her own, having stared at it thousands of times.

She looked down into the narrowed blue eyes of the man she wanted to love, finding only cool disinterest there. The voice he spoke in was nothing more than a whisper. "I'll be on top of the Fourth Hokage's head for another hour."

Then the figure vanished in a puff of smoke. Kage Bushin, then.

* * *

Danzo suppressed a smile as his ROOT lieutenant reported the movements of Hinata in the night. _An amusing opening, Naruto.  
_

"Make sure they aren't interrupted, Torune. This may be more amusing than I expected." A flicker of motion, and Danzo once again stood alone in the room, before sighing and going to make more tea.

* * *

Hinata leapt down from the tree into the flat surface of the top of the Hokage Monument, breathing a bit heavily. Slipping out of the Hyuga Mansion in the confusion of the guard change was simple. She had come at nearly top speed, heart pounding, mouth dry. She didn't know what she'd say or do, or what Naruto-kun wanted, but she would be here.

She had to **try.**

With a stiff motion, the figure in front of her stood slowly. His beautiful red coat was scuffed and dirty from rebuilding, his orange pants torn at one knee. His eyes were tired, the flesh around them almost bruised with exhaustion, his hair a bit matted. He'd clearly not had a shower or much sleep in the past couple of days, and there was the barest hint of stubble around his jawline.

"So you at least had enough courage to show up." Naruto-kun's voice was cold and Hinata could only nod mutely, eyes tracking him through the darkness.

He looked at the ground, as if thinking about something, and Hinata mentally steeled herself. "A-ano .. Naruto-kun. I .. I'm sorry. For .. for n-not doing what I should have... for not l-letting you know how I felt. How I feel." Her nervousness increased but she forced her nerves down. She couldn't afford to be weak. Even if he told her to get out of her life. "I know I should have .. said something. I should have trusted you , not been .. weak. And I'm sorry! I just .. I tried to be like you but I don't know how , Naruto-kun. I want never to give up .. and I won't. So I am here. Even.."

She bit her lip. "E-even if that's only to hear you tell me to .. go away."

Naruto turned to face her, taking a step forward until they were very close. "Do you even understand why I am so angry?! It hurts! Everything fucking hurts! Nothing I do is good enough for anyone to make an effort! Nothing! I tried my best and it wasn't even worth saying anything! How can I believe you love me against that!"

His eyes, she saw, were so tired.

It took her several seconds to find her voice. She was trying very hard not to just break down crying, she had to … be strong. She had to find a way to reach him. Kurenai-sensei had always told her to just be herself, so she tried. "Naruto-kun.. I know .. what I f-feel. How I feel. I tried to save you from Pain because I felt I had let you down all my life and . . . and I had to make up for it. I didn't say what ... I didn't say what I should have because I was... scared."

Naruto sighed, and she hurried on. "I was scared .. of how my family would r-react. Of you saying ... you didn't c-care for me. I k-know you were always a-asking Sakura for dates... I was scared...you would just d-dismiss me. And I-I know what I'm … saying is just words , words that don't fix that I screwed up. I wasn't there for you when you were hurt and a-alone and .. I don't know what my father would say if I told him how I felt about you. I DON'T care now. I .. I want to stop.. chasing you. And.. be by your side."

She looked away. "Even if you .. don't care about me as I do for you..."

Naruto sighed again, burying his face in his hands. "Hinata.. I'm supposed to be the stupid dobe, not you. Did you not hear what happened after you … fell..."

Hinata thought back to her conversation with Kiba-kun, in the hospital, about how Naruto had reacted after her collapse in the fight with Pain. "_After that freak stabbed you? Oh, kami, Naruto just __**completely **__lost his shit. The whole freaking village felt the shockwave, and he basically turned into the freaking Kyuubi. That Pain asshole tried putting him in like, fuck I don't know, a small moon, and he just broke out of it and shattered that motherfucker."_

"Ano... I .. you unleashed the Kyuubi... to stop Pain."

Naruto glanced at her. Pale eyes shining in dim moonlight, soft, blue hair almost black, pale, unmarked skin... she was very beautiful. Very open.

And , if Danzo-sama was right … very weak.

"I did more than just 'unleash it'. I almost tore my soul apart trying to get at Pain. He killed Jiraya, who was like … a dad to me. He'd hurt Baa-chan and … he'd killed Shinzune-neechan and Kakashi-sensei. I was .. angry. But I wasn't angry enough to do that until he struck you down."

Naruto grimaced at the memory.

"Then he just … I thought he'd killed you, just to make a point. I thought you were dead. I wanted to turn him into paste. And then I won, I more than won." He clenched his fist. "I'd beaten the bastard with words. I made him see he was wrong. I'd .. saved the village."

Naruto looked up at her, mouth drawn into a frown. "And the villagers cheered. Now, all of a sudden, I wasn't a monster. Now, all of a sudden, I was a hero. Before I guess I was just a demon brat. I'm expected to just forgive them, without any of them actually asking for it. They weren't going to promote me. They were just going to let me rot."

Naruto closed his eyes. "When you told me you loved me I wanted to scream where were you all those years. But maybe you didn't know it was love. Maybe you just wanted someone to inspire you. But right after that mess.. I .. waited for you."

Naruto looked up at her again. "No one told me you were at the hospital. And when I asked where you were, they said you were unconscious. I figured... when you woke up. We'd talk. That you would come to me. Explain."

Naruto flung his hands in the air. "Instead? You avoided me. You fucking hid. And instead of bothering to come to me, you send Shino! A man who can't even understand a joke, much less anything else. And he had the .. the nerve to suggest somehow I am being the bad guy in all this."

Hinata drew a breath. "Y-you aren't the bad guy , Naruto-kun. I .. I didn't .. I was scared and I didn't .. handle it right. That...that's why I am here now .. "

Naruto snorted. "You're here now because I sent a Kage Bushin after you telling you to come here. You're here now because you're scared I'm going to reject your confession. You're not here because you want to be, you're here because you think you _have _to be."

Naruto sighed bitterly. "And once again, Danzo-sama was right. So was Sasuke. I am a dobe." He turned to Hinata. "Tomorrow , the acting Hokage is going to announce something involving me. Something that will probably make a lot of people change how they look at me. I guess I should be happy that someone at least appreciates me for what I am, without … what tomorrow will bring."

Naruto kicked at the dirt. "But I can't just let go of the past. Of how … alone I was. Do you know what it would have meant for me to have heard those words BEFORE I had to nearly die to save the fucking village!?"

Hinata hung her head. "Y-yes. I .. I w-was selfish."

Naruto gave her a narrow gaze before sighing tiredly. "I need to be my usual, stupid, happy smiley self again. Then everyone can pretend everything is right with the world. You wouldn't be crying and -"

Hinata shook her head, a few tears sliding from her cheeks to spatter against the dirt. "I-I don't care whatever announcement happens. I .. I know you can't let go of the p-past. I .. I know I haven't done anything to show that I am d-different from any of the rest. I just w-want another chance! To show you I am n-not scared! Or weak!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm too tired to think right now, tonight. I don't know what kind of answer I am expected to give... and whatever it is, I need to think on it. I'll talk to you tomorrow and think about it." He turned to leave, and then paused. "You're still the same. Gloomy, timid, always terrified and basically completely weird."

Hinata bit her lip, letting more tears fall down her face. And as Naruto walked away, he spoke one final time.

"I still sort of like people like you, Hinata-chan."

She looked up, eyes wide, but he was gone, only the sound of the wind over the grass and dirt atop the monument and the light from the stars above to keep her company. A tiny little smile broke out across her face as she turned for her own home, a warmth in her heart.

_He called me Hinata-chan again._


	4. Chapter 4 : Shino's Turmoil

_I'm aware this kinda story is not everyone's cup of tea, but it would be helpful if you could point out a story that deals with Naruto's reactions in a way you prefer better if you don't like it. If you think a point I'm making is false, I'd love to hear your thinking. I'll probably respond in PM's rather than in the story itself, though. _

_I'm not hating on Hinata._

_Don't own Naruto, characters, blah blah ... Kishamoto, what the hell are you smoking? _

* * *

Shino was unsure of how to process the events of the day.

As an Aburame, he prized logic, calm, and order above almost everything else. It wasn't that he, or any other Aburame was emotionless, far from it. Shino could understand the bitterness behind Naruto's frustration.

In the founding of the village, the Aburame Clan had aided and defended Kohona many times, turning away other insect using clans, foiling spies, aiding in food production and research, but it wasn't until the reign of the Third Hokage that they were finally granted full Clan status, despite their many contributions. People feared what they didn't understand, and the clan fell into that category with ease.

Many clan members felt affronted that the Clan was given it's status with no fanfare or celebration. When the Yamanaka and Nara clans were added to the Clan Council, there were festivities and announcements. The Aburame were merely handed the status, and with very little visible gratitude. It was a decision made by the Third, not by the village.

Shino understood that Naruto felt cheated, after listening to Danzo announce that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage. He understood that Naruto felt as if his entire life had consisted of suffering that was not only unnecessary but also cruelly ironic.

Shino, however, much like his clan, would have assumed that it was better to be accepted and loved than scorned and hated, even if it came later in life than it should. To turn away from such acceptance when it was offered seemed childish.

And that, really , was why Shino feared emotions. They made you turn away from what was logical and rational towards some other path, one measured in whim and irrationality. The hive didn't have emotions. It couldn't cater to the wishes or needs of the individual. It had to preserve and protect the entirety of the hive, or all would fall.

Shino extended a finger, reclaiming the kikachu he'd had attached to Hinata since he'd relayed Naruto's words to her, and considered his next move. While he feared emotions , he still felt them. While he tried to be as logical and objective as he could, he wasn't able to simply dismiss how people treated him.

Hinata was the only person who reacted to him without fear, who accepted him for what he was, insects and all. She was the one who gave him healing cream when he was hurt, kind words of encouragement when he was slightly depressed. Kiba, with his brashness and alpha-male mentality, was fond of Hinata, but too caught up in his own views to see how badly the girl was hurting.

Shino was not. And he found himself becoming uncharacteristically … angry … at Naruto.

Logic, he found, didn't help him with that feeling, or the almost uncontrollable desire to try and reason with Hinata to turn her gaze and attentions somewhere else. Naruto, for some reason, had decided that he was angry with the village. Maybe it was the fact that he was the Fourth's son and had been treated like a leper for years.

Maybe it was a lack of recognition or acceptance, as he had stated. Shino didn't have enough data to formulate a good model of the jinchuriki's thought process, and didn't feel like making the effort if it was unlikely to yield a change in behavior. However, he knew enough to understand how anger could be a reaction to the revelations that had been announced to day. Shino wasn't blind, he'd seen how the village had isolated Naruto.

Despite his own feelings, and what logic told him, Shino could grasp – however alien – the idea of rejecting acceptance by a village that scorned him for so many years. Naruto had always loudly proclaimed he would be the Hokage and get everyone to acknowledge him … and in the aftermath of doing just that, perhaps he had discovered that it wasn't that big a reward.

Shino wasn't angry about that.

Shino was angry that Naruto had someone who loved him unconditionally, who wanted to be with him, and spat on it.

Shino adjusted his sunglasses as he walked towards the Hyuga estate. He knew, given the long ancestry and focus on purity and excellence the Hyuga maintained, that for Hinata to simply state she was interested in the village jinchuriki would have been .. unwelcome. While many of her close friends knew of her crush on Naruto, and probably some of the Main and Branch House as well, as long as it wasn't reciprocated, and as long as Hinata had not made any real actions, it was probably dismissed as nothing more than a childhood crush.

Naruto had no real understanding of the village's politics, of the dance and games of the council and the clans. If Hinata had openly displayed her affection, Shino had no doubt she'd have been branded with the clan's curse seal and shuffled off somewhere to not embarrass the clan. Hinata couldn't do that , not with her hopes and dreams to change the way the Hyuga Main and Branch families interacted.

But Naruto didn't try to see that. Didn't try to see Hinata had been discouraged and beaten down her entire life. Didn't care that she had literally no one in her life to support her and be there to listen to her aside from Kurenai and Shino. He just threw it back in her face because he was upset.

Shino found himself wishing he was the one Hinata looked at like that, and the thought … shocked him. He didn't see her in that light, not really … but then again, she was the only female that didn't look at him with faint unease and disgust.

He didn't think he was falling in love with Hinata. But he wished , maybe, that he could. He would at least have made an attempt to soothe her emotions, to let her know she was wanted. To simply hurl away the affection of a girl already isolated and rejected, to ignore the parellels between her situation and his...

Naruto was an idiot. Shino's bugs buzzed in agitation, and he focused himself to calm them, sending out soothing paths of chakra through his body.

There was nothing left for him to do now, though. He wouldn't be petty enough to try to talk Hinata out of her feelings, not when she was hurting. He would simply listen, and offer what little advice and logical thought he could that might make her feel better.

He didn't know if that would help or not. He felt .. helpless, and sad.

He didn't like emotions. They just made everything , as Shikamaru would put it, troublesome.


	5. Chapter 5 : Sakura's Sadness

_Sakura is screwed up. So is Hinata. I know Sakura-bashing is the in thing these days, but you have to look underneath the underneath sometimes._

_To respond to a review: I'm delighted you don't like it. Based on the response, you didn't really get the point of it, so that means I'm achieving what I set out to achieve._

_Naruto is supposed to be an inspiration for children, but what are the lessons it really teaches? That it's okay to be trampled and run over by society and that you should continue to serve a corrupted, weak leadership rather than stand up for yourself? That the you can be strong by giving into hate and revenge and that those who embrace love and peace are rewarded with death? That true love isn't about taking a risk and showing how you feel or understanding a person but mindless fangirlism and ignoring the bad for the good?_

_Well, to each their own, buddy. I think everyone is entitled to what they think and feel, and that no one has the 'wrong answer'. But I also think that there is no such thing as absolute perspective, and that is kind of the whole point of the story. People preach about the power of forgiveness. But how can you forgive someone who isn't really fucking sorry to begin with?_

_Don't own Naruto, characters, blah blah, OMG EMO-MINDLINK FTW! Do your self a favor if you love Naruto, stop reading the Manga after the Kage Summit. Less painful._

* * *

Sakura Haruno sighed as she filled out yet more paperwork regarding the new blood bank being set up in the temporary hospital. The tiny office she worked in was cramped and hot, the brush she was using was worn out and the chair she sat on was uncomfortable.

With a last sigh of disgust, she sat the brush down on top of the report, standing slowly to stretch her back, pushing back pink hair from her face. She rubbed her eyes a moment later, leaving the door open, and wandering down the hall and outside of the makeshift medical administrative building.

She took in the sight of the rebuilding going on around her. Rather than try to fill in the crater, the rebuilding teams had incorporated the blast features into the redesign of the city. The inner crater, nearly half a mile across, now housed the most important buildings – the Hokage Tower, the ANBU center, the Shinobi Archives, and the Council Chambers. The outer crater, taking up all the space until about a thousand feet from the walls, was given over to the newly rebuilt civilan sector, the hospital, and a few industrial buildings. What remained of outer Kohona inside the walls was being renovated to serve as the housing and facilities for ninja. In a future invasion, enemies would have to fight their way past the ninja sectors surrounding the vulnerable civilians , rather than the other way around.

The rebuilding had been sped up enormously by three factors. Yamato-sensei's incredible mokuton abilities could build a small house in a minute, and larger houses in a few minutes. Naruto's hordes of kage bushin followed up with wiring, concrete, and fittings, trailed by a pack of carpenters and electricians. Given that Naruto learned most of what his kage bushin experienced, in a couple of weeks he ended up knowing more about construction and building than most masters.

Finally, Tsunade-sama's slug summons acted as living wheelbarrows and conveyors, thousands of them working tirelessly to haul away rubble or bring up new supplies. Without all three , the village would still be ruined.

Sakura knew, however, that Naruto wasn't happy. She knew Naruto better than _anyone _, having gone through so much with him by her side – certainly more than that horrid little Hyuga bitch. She knew how hard Naruto tried. How much he hid his pain and loneliness. How much he wished he could just be appreciated for what he was.

That was why, after the announcment of his actual heritage, and his promotion , she'd ran up and hugged him...then slugged him into the ground. "Naruto-baka! Now you outrank me!" She'd laughed as he rubbed his head and glared up at her with his usual cry of "Sakura-chaaaan"...

But she'd also seen the gratitude in his eyes.

Sakura was sure most people thought she was cruel to Naruto. He clearly had a crush on her, always asking her out. He'd risked his life countless times for her, even when she hadn't shown any appreciation of it at all. He'd nearly gotten killed trying to bring back her Sasuke-kun , and almost died yet again when they kept chasing him.

For all that, Sakura was the one person Naruto felt really , truly accepted him. When he told her that he was the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, after seeing the red chakra he'd shown on the Wave mission, she'd hit him for not telling him sooner and told him he was still a baka. She'd never accepted his dates...but made sure to go to Ichiraku's Ramen with him at least once a week.

She'd turned down his love , but she knew his problems in dealing with the village and made sure to buy and bring him fresh groceries when she could. She'd never ignored his achievements. When she'd been saved from Gaara by him, and Sasuke had told her the truth, she'd even given him a single, chaste kiss on the cheek.

She couldn't love him as a boyfriend because she loved him as a brother. She knew that hurt him, and she knew that there wasn't much she could do about it. And honestly , maybe, it was better that way.

The nerve of that little white-eyed _tramp_!

Sakura was still angry, thinking back to the discussion she'd had with her Naruto-kun just the day before. He'd told her of Shino, of what he'd said. Of what Hinata had said in the fight against Pain, and how she reacted the day he finally forced her to talk.

Stupid, selfish whorelet. As if that bitch knew _anything _about suffering. She'd seen Naruto suffering, watched him have to pick through garbage for tools, and had done nothing. She'd seen him crying all alone , rejected by almost everyone around him, and she'd just gone on her merry way, using him for inspiration.

And had the nerve, the kami-be-damned nerve, to sent out that bug weirdo to try to guilt trip Naruto? It made the pink-haired medic want to scream. Why was the only other person beside her who could see the real Naruto a moron!?

She smashed her fist into a nearby tree, making the trunk crack alarmingly and sending down a shower of tumbling, spinning leaves. A moment later, a voice spoke up.

"Ne , Sakura-chan, are you okay?"

She half-turned to see Naruto standing there , his red and black coat looking new and mended, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head with his eyes squinted and closed. "Ano, I mean, the tree didn't mean it , whatever it said to piss you off..."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Ramen-topping-baka." She grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him next to her, resuming her walk. "I told you to get some sleep, Naruto-kun. You've been running on empty for days and being paraded around like a trophy didn't help." She poked his middle, making him giggle in a silly fashion and wriggle away. "And you haven't been eating!"

Naruto gave her a look. "But Sakura-chan, Ichiraku's is still under repair..."

"NARUTO-MORON, YOU CAN EAT MORE THAN **RAMEN**!" She slammed her fist into his head, sending him bouncing off the ground and landing face down.

"...so...cold...Sakura-chaaan..."

With a grin and a flash of motion he was up again, not even showing a bruise, babbling away about the new apartment Danzo-sama had given him, how big it was and how it had real hot water, and a hot tub, and –

Sakura nearly choked. "A hot tub? When did he find that , much less get it installed?"

Naruto shrugged. "Ne, I don't know? I think it was a surviving building from the … attack. Belonged to some merchant or something. Serves the bastards right, the way they treated me all those years." He wiggled his eyebrows salaciously. "Ano, you interested in trying it out!? It's big enough for tw-"

She held up her fist. "Finish that sentence and I'll make sure you need a catheter the rest of your life, baka-pig." She shook it for emphasis and the boy broke away in giggles, making her quirk her own lips in helpless amusement. A moment later, however, she cursed, looking ahead, and Naruto stopped to look at her. "Huh?"

Sakura jerked her thumb to her left. "Your fan club."

Naruto sighed, glancing down the road, as a series of younger women saw him and began to call his name. With a smirk, Sakura stood in front of him, glaring at them, making a fist.

"Get lost, she-bitches. He's not interested in you. Maybe if you'd shown up before they named him the Fourth's son he'd have paid you any mind, gold digging sluts!" She glared harder, and the small knot of girls ran off, leaving them alone on the road. Naruto gave a dry chuckle.

"Jealous, Sakura-chan? You already know I'm all yours whenever you want to – "

He folded up from a punch to the stomach. "Pervert-baka, shut up." She paused, then sighed and pitched her voice more seriously. "We . . . need to talk, Naruto."

He stood up, rubbing his stomach, and sighed. "There's nothing to talk about, Sakura. You haven't given up on Sasuke. I know and understand that. He was the person you looked up to. He saw through the fan girl to the real you." He reached out, hesitantly touching her hair , gazing at it longingly as if he could never actually reach it. "I wouldn't want you to .. decide anything anyway until you figure out how you feel."

Sakura tensed her jaw. "I .. I told you. I love you. I love you more than my parents, maybe more than I love Sasuke-kun. I'd die for you. I'm just not.. you're like family. I can … just talk. I don't have to be Sakura, apprentice to the Sannin. Or Sakura, weak fan girl. Or Sakura, who can't even get her parents to believe in her."

Naruto nodded. "I know. I .. most days, Sakura-chan...that's the only reason I haven't gone crazy, or left the village. I know you understand me. It's why I'll never give up!" The small smile he gave was heartbreaking, and a moment later it faded, his voice becoming quiet and tired.

"But I'm tired of people not seeing me. Even when they cheer my name they don't see me. Those eyes haven't changed. They aren't full of hate and fear, but they still ignore ME for whatever they want to see. Before, they wanted to see Kyuubi. They wanted to see something they could hate. Now, they want to see the Fourth, the hero..."

He clenched a fist. "Danzo-sama, I think , was right."

Sakura sighed again. Naruto's meetings with the old warrior had changed him quite a bit, and Sakura wasn't sure she really liked Danzo's philosophy. She knew, if she wanted to, she could get Naruto-kun to ditch him. Hell, if she wanted to, she could get Naruto-kun to do _anything. _Being the first person to reach out to him and just see him as the person he was ended up with , from her point of view, a somewhat unhealthy level of obsession.

But for all that, he was worth it. She felt safe with him nearby, like nothing could hurt her or touch her. She knew that he'd go beyond death itself before letting her get hurt. He'd taken weeks to get over accidentally hurting her in his four-tailed form when they faced Orochimaru. She knew that she had more influence over his thinking and what he would and wouldn't put up with than anyone else.

The question was, really, if Danzo-sama was just using Naruto-kun for his own plans, or if he meant what he said?

Sakura knew how desperately Naruto needed to be accepted. Not for what he was, but in spite of what he was. He didn't want to be the "container", and he didn't want to be the "Hero", or the "Fourth's Son". He wanted recognition at being "the guy who never gave up" or "just another person". He didn't know how to handle attention. Or people.

The village thought that he would just let the past go, forgive them of their sins, pretend everything was cool with a silly smile and a stupid expression. But Sakura knew that he couldn't do that until and unless the village , the people – everyone who looked at him with those eyes – realized that what they did was not just _wrong _but that they had to make a real effort to show them they had changed.

Forgiveness can't just be handed out. Naruto was good at reaching out, breaking past barriers with other villages. Wave adored him. Sand held him as a hero. He'd made so many bonds... and yet his own village never bothered to try to understand the real Naruto, to look underneath the underneath.

Sakura bit her lip, and threw her arm around her friend. "Baka, I'm making you dinner. C'mon." She smiled at the happy grin on his face as she tugged him back towards the hospital. "I just have to finish this stupid report and turn it in to Tsuande-shisou and then we can go. And no ramen!"

She was worried about her friend, her brother, her precious person. Forgiveness wasn't going to happen, she knew, because no one really regretted what they'd done. Not the village. Not the Hokages. Not the ninja. Not Kakashi-sensei, too blinded by his past to see how badly he'd hurt Naruto. Certainly not that stupid stuttering failure of a Hyuga, so selfish about her own problems she didn't even see the person she claimed to love suffering malnutrition and depression.

No, forgiveness required regrets. And she wasn't sure she even wanted to be in this stupid village any more. Her parents, drunk and arguing, wishing she'd marry a rich merchant. Her teacher, caring so much and still so blind as to Naruto's needs. Her missing love, who'd abandoned her for power and revenge and then didn't even care at her sacrifices and how she'd worked to become stronger.

She didn't have the heart to tell Naruto that she didn't love Sasuke-kun any more. She didn't know if she could love anyone that would make her act so much of a fool...and hurt her like that. She'd rather just turn down Naruto's dates and drag him home to feed him, to hit him and then hug him, to cheer him up when he was broken and give him something to fight for.

After all the pain she'd caused, that was the least she could do, because she regretted how she'd acted fully...and that's why he had forgiven her.


	6. Chapter 6 : Danzo's Manipulation

_This is going places, it's just easier to show all the steps. _

_There may be a piece for Shika, definitely one for Kakashi, and probably one for Shizune. _

_Don't own Naruto, characters, blah blah, Kishmoto owns it all, blah blah. _

* * *

"There is a difference, young Naruto-kun, between power and strength. The young confuse the two as being interchangeable. Those who survive past youth make the equally bad mistake of assuming that if you have strength, then you have power. This is why there are so very few old ninjas in our world."

The Hokage's office, makeshift as it was, seemed to almost hold a calming , quiet influence at night, as if the world was holding it's breath. Naruto didn't know why it was – perhaps Danzo-sama was just that serene, or perhaps it was because Naruto himself felt he could relax in his presence. Whatever it was, the tension and muted resentment he often felt in the village itself was gone here.

Naruto came every night, from just after sundown for an hour or two, to sit and talk with the old man. It was a different relationship than he'd had with the Third. Danzo was not very emotional. He was cautious and careful, elegant and stern. His face was lined with the sacrifices he'd made for his village, but his back was straight, and not much grey was in his hair despite being nearly as old as the Third had been.

The weeks following the announcment of Naruto's heritage had been strange, frustrating, and eye-opening. Before he'd known who his father was, or that many powerful figures in the village, many of who would have claimed to be the Fourth's friends, had done nothing to ease his life – Naruto probably would have been ecstatic to be the center of attention and to have fangirls.

He'd striven his whole life, after all, to gain recognition, acknowledgment, attention. Everything from his loud voice to his orange jumpsuit to wanting to learn flashy jutsu spoke to that. But now, knowing that he'd been cheated out of his birthright his entire life, and that the resentment and hatred of the village could have been muted … it was hard to simply accept it all.

Especially when, after listening to Danzo-sama, he realized it was all so very shallow. Danzo had let him attend a meeting of the Council, disguised as one of Danzo's ANBU bodyguards, his chakra cloaked behind a funny looking seal on the heavy cloak Danzo had given him as part of the outfit.

Listening to the village elders, civilians, and clan heads had made him feel physically ill.

The elders, the old teammates of the Third, had been dubious about Naruto from his birth, and strongly disagreed with Danzo's decision to let the boy know of his heritage. When Danzo had calmly pointed out that a seal function within the array that held back the Kyuubi had been what had alerted Naruto, their first response was to have a Hyuga Seal Master examine the rest of the seal to see if there were any more 'gifts left behind'. Homura had then suggested it would be simpler to have a Yamanaka go in and seal the boy's memories away so he wouldn't know his father.

When Danzo politely inquired why such a thing should be done, the answer was unequivocal. "Danzo, the boy is unstable because he's a jinchuriki. They all are. The moment that boy was sealed with the Kyuubi he ceased to be 'Minato's son' and became a sacrifice for the village. I've never agreed with the entire concept of such weapons – and now the entire village is wrecked because of us having one. Having him linked to the Fourth will only stir up trouble with Iwa."

No one cared that he'd stopped Pain. Or that he'd saved the villagers. Or any of his other achievements. The civilian council saw him as a tool – marry him off to some rich merchant's daughter and rebuild the Namikaze name for Kohona. The leader of the civilian council, an oily , fat man called Uyu, smirked as he spoke.

"The elders viewpoint is sadly shallow. The boy is powerful, but he's still a boy. If he's unstable, then he can be … stabilized. Clearly, he can stop threats that approach us – Iwa is not going to be a problem if he can blow up that pierced Pain creature. Marry the boy off, put him in some kind of ceremonial role , assign lots of ANBU to watch him and keep him happy and docile. He's too stupid and immature to see it, and then we have a powerful weapon that is tied to the civilian population of the Leaf, one he will naturally want to defend."

The clans, on the other hand , were bitterly divided. The Nara clan thought that announcing his birthright was unwise because it would make him question his place in the village. The Akamichi and Inuzuka clans both implied the boy was dangerous – not that he was the Kyuubi, but that he could become mentally unstable and lose control. The Yamanaka clan was the only one that spoke up in favor of Naruto.

Naruto was gratified to learn that at least one of his father's old friends was upset. Iniochi Yamanaka sent a cold glare down the table towards Shikaku Nara and spoke in an equally icy tone. "This is almost impossible to bear. My friend, Minato, sacrificed his very life , the life of his wife, and the future of his only son, for this village. Which proceeded to hide his very heritage, brutalize, and ignore him. The boy has been performing far above standards for years! He stopped the sand jinchuriki, has defeated three members of Atasuki, and is the main reason we even have relations with Wave, Demon, Spring, and Waterfall Countries. He saved literally all of our lives just a few weeks ago." The blond man sighed. "And yet no one actually has any faith in him?"

The elder Homura shrugged. "You are still young, Inochi-san. We have seen how jinchuriki end up. They inevitably go out of control. It may be years, but it is a certainty. And regardless of his past performance -"

Inochi had made a slashing gesture with his hand. "The only reason the boy wasn't killed is my clan had spread rumors he was related to us and that we'd retaliate – violently – if he was harmed in any way. Not a single clan or ninja stood up to adopt the boy except us, and we were denied, saying it would be 'undue influence' and a danger. I have had enough of this farce, fellow councilors. The boy IS Minato's son. You can't hide it much longer, if he lets his hair grow he's going to look EXACTLY like him anyway. If it had not been your stupidity and bigotry regarding his moth-"

Danzo had tried to stop the conversation, but it was too late. And Naruto learned another horrible truth. His mother, Kushina Uzumaki, had been the previous jinchuriki of the Nine Tails. The village , with the exception of a very few, had not known – but when Minato wanted to marry, the Council had blocked the request. They didn't trust Kushina and more than one clan had wanted the talented Hokage to instead marry into their clan.

When Kushina had given birth, at the time the seal was it's weakest, the Hokage had tried to get extra protection for his wife – and the Council had denied such. As a result, when the mysterious masked figure had attacked, there'd only been a couple of ANBU and the Third's wife alongside Minato to protect her.

If she'd had proper protection, instead of a shack in the woods, the Kyuubi might not have been unleashed.

He'd have had a family.

His rage had boiled for days after witnessing that meeting. Danzo had called him into his office to explain more fully, and smiled wryly when Naruto had angrily asked him why he hadn't done anything to help.

"Power, Naruto, is it's own .. tool. We are commonly told the Hokage is the most powerful ninja in the village, but that's never been the case. He or she is merely the strongest. Tsunade-hime is much , much stronger than almost everyone in the village. But she still has debts hanging over her head. She still has a past many dislike. She still has a lack of skill in dealing with mercantile and economic matters. Those are weaknesses, and limit her real power."

Danzo poured tea calmly, with his good arm, the motions practiced, fluid, and calm. "It's easy , young Naruto, to assume that a 'strong' person can get what they want. You will find, however, that strength is not power. It is merely strength. Unless you are willing to rely on physical coercion to achieve your goals and wishes, such strength only makes people jealous and uncooperative."

He poured a second cup, a wry smile on his aged features. "The Third, Hiruzen, believed that power flowed from mutual understanding, diplomacy, and trade. He felt that if the links between the Great Powers and the lesser villages were worth enough , diplomatically and economically, that this would form a barrier to future war. He concentrated his focus and influence on such things, eschewing raw strength for the strength of the treaty and the trade agreement. And Kohona's economy flourished in such things."

Naruto took a sip of the tea, forcing himself to think and listen to the words. "Ano...so he focused on the externals of the village? Rather than pay attention to what went on inside or on making the ninja stronger?"

Danzo nodded, pleased. "Exactly. Under him, the Academy went from a military boot camp to little more than a civilian school with classes in basic – very basic – ninja techniques. Before, one was required to master tree and water walking, and at least ten jutsu, and you could graduate as fast as you could learn. Teams were built and tried by fire in war, washouts heavily retrained and used to stiffen the general ranks. Now? It's a joke. You graduate with nothing more in the way of skills than the Academy Three and a taijutsu style so stiff it's useless."

Danzo paused, savoring the vapor from his tea, before continuing. "That is why the Council acts as it does, because Hiruzen did not bother to restrain it. He was so focused on ending war through his ideals he didn't bother to pay attention to what was happening around him. And as a result, rather than actually address the problems you had, he made stop gap measures of little real value." Danzo paused again, before giving a small frown. "I do not think it was out of malice. But he saw you as a game piece, I suspect, even if he did not want to admit it to himself. Every act he took – the apartment, letting no one adopt you, the stipend and eating with you at that ramen stand – even the choice of Hatake as sensei – was designed to make you cling to him as a father figure."

Naruto sighed, casting his eyes downwards, and Danzo smiled inside. Manipulating the boy was so easy it was amazing no one else bothered to figure out how to do so.

"Naruto-kun, I've done what I can to .. make amends for how you've been handled. You are jonin, now. As you should be, with your accomplishments. You can apply to join the ANBU, if you wish, although I would not recommend it. Or you could petition to take up training a genin team."

Naruto frowned. "What about the Ataksuki? We need to do something about them before they come back!"

Danzo nodded. "I had hoped Tsunade-hime would have awakened by now, but … she is still in her coma. I have received a communication from the Land of Iron – the Five Great Powers will meet in a Hokage summit in the next few weeks. I had hoped this news would not arrive but..."

Danzo laughed inside as he broke the news. "Your former teammate, Uchiha Sasuke, has kidnapped the holder of the Eight-Tails from Kumo. Mulitple witnesses indicate that he was wearing the robes of the Ataksuki."

Naruto's eyes widened, and he stammered. "N-no! That can't b-be right! Sasuke would never -"

Danzo shook his head. "Naruto." He gave a pained smiled. "I know how you feel. One of my team-mates went missing nin in my youth, and ended up selling valuable intel information to Iwa that got several good ninja's killed. I didn't want to believe my friend would have done such a thing. I wanted to believe he was just .. confused. That I could bring him back. But when I faced him, he was no longer the person I knew in my youth.. and I had to kill him."

Complete fabrication – if any of Danzo's comrades had attempted such, he'd have slaughtered them in their sleep before they could even try. But the story gave him a rapport with Naruto, who looked at him with wounded eyes. He continued. "The man in question, Kirabi .. was the brother of the Raikage. The Raikage is .. very, very angry."

Naruto snorted. "What , that his weapon got stolen?"

Danzo shook his head. "That his brother was abducted and is probably going to be killed. He .. well, he didn't even use the word jinchuriki in his missive. He is angry that his sibling has been taken and he has sworn to kill Sasuke. The Hokage summit is to discuss the options the Five Great Powers will take to stop Ataksuki."

Danzo made a gesture to the window. "I must attend. And as such, I need someone to stay behind and protect the village. I **need** you to protect the village, protect Tsunade-hime. I am leaving you as the Hokage-designate while I am gone – and damn what the coucil says."

He smiled even wider. Naruto hadn't known that he'd coached Homura and even Uyu on what to say in the meeting he'd seen. The truth was, the elders were not at all opposed to Naruto being Hokage – a young , inexperienced fool who'd need to rely on the Council for political, economic and even moral advice, as opposed to the headstrong Tsunade-hime? Perfect.

But Danzo had to lead the boy by the nose, to set up the plays so it would look as if his own abilities were finally winning people over. Naruto would only be angry and vulnerable for so long before his loneliness and need for acceptance made him get past his childish anger and rather stupid rejection of the villages homage. And by the time that happened, he would be entirely Danzo's creature.

The hat was uncomfortable and stupid looking. Much better to be the shadow behind the shadow than standing in the light , visible to all. Danzo chatted a bit longer with the boy before dismissing him, then turned to the corner of the room, where one of his ROOT ANBU emerged seamlessly from the wall.

"Your report?"

The ROOT knelt before Danzo. "Hokage-sama. I've had my bugs scout the boy's friends and associates. The Hyuga heiress has had a long-term crush on the jinchuriki, but only acted on it recently, and the boy appears put out at her hesitance. Haruno does not seem to see the boy in a romantic light. Conversations indicate a close friendship, however, and she has greater insight into his mindset than most others do. The majority of his friends are still in confusion over the announcment about his heiritage – the Yamanaka has made some tentative moves towards trying to get closer to him."

Danzo nodded thoughtfully. "The Hyuga is not an acceptable influence on the boy, and I'm sure the Hyuga Elders will agree that they are not a good match, even with his heritage known. The Haruno girl is clearly a source of stability, but her past relationship with the Uchiha traitor is .. problematic." Danzo stroked his chin and then smiled.

"Bring me Fu. I think changing a few minds, literally, may bring out the changes I want to see."


	7. Chapter 7 : Kakashi's Perspective

_I've never really understood why people like Kakashi. Of all the Kohona ninja, he's the most blind, the most irresponsible, the most jaded and yet the most immature. Rather than learn and grow from his mistakes, he proudly waves his failures around like some kind of demented flag, as if that gives him an excuse to be a clueless asshole. If you're a Kakashi fan you won't like this chapter much. _

_Don't own Naruto, characters, blah blah blah. _

* * *

Perspective was not something that Kakashi was good at. In his youth, his perspectives had been skewed by the suicide of his father and his need for organization. In his teen years, they'd been thrown off by the deaths of Obito, Rin, and Minato. And in his adult years, they were skewed by his lack of belief in his own abilities.

Perhaps that's why talking to Naruto was so .. awkward these days.

Before departing, Danzo had taken several steps towards improving village security. A full quarter of ANBU was stationed on rotating patrols around the village. Kurenai was enlisted along with several retired ninja to enact genjutsu fields around the approaches to the village itself, and sensory ninja were being linked into a seal-driven detection array of Danzo's own devising.

Strict curfews were set, along with some rationing. Retired ninja and civilians who'd failed out of the Academy but could manipulate chakra were drafted into the Civilan Security Patrol, under the supervision of Inuzuka trackers and Hyuga watchmen. Medic-nins were organized into roving health patrols as well, ensuring sanitation in the often makeshift conditions of the rebuilding.

Rather than leave a senior ninja in charge, however, Danzo had surprised everyone by leaving Naruto in nominal control, along with his new promotion to jonin. The Council had howled, of course, but the move was a major morale booster for the civilians, and even some of the ninja forces. Naruto's short , blunt speech was almost cold in it's delivery, but gathered wild cheers nonetheless – many who had questioned the boy's maturity level took his cool delivery as proof positive that he'd grown up.

Kakashi didn't buy it. He was, admittedly, quite the failure at being both a teacher and looking underneath the underneath. His prize student, the one he'd thought was so much like him, had turned out to be nothing more than a murdering thug, in league with the very forces that tried to destroy the village. The girl he'd written off as a weak fan-girl , unable to be of much use beside distractions, had become a skilled medic-nin nearly the equal of Tsunade-hime herself. Kazaru-kaika, they were calling her, the Graceful Blossom of Kohona.

And Naruto?

Kakashi sighed, staring down at the memorial stone.

"I'm such an idiot, Obito."

_Kaka-teme, I could have told you that. All that talk about lookin' underneath the underneath and you treated him just like you did me._

"I wanted to .. respect your sacrifice. By training Sakuke, I thought I could do that, and turn him from his path by showing him there was power to be found in team work...and I ended up failing sensei's son."

_What about Minato-sensei's sacrifice? What about Ku-chan's sacrifice? Dammit, they basically raised you after Sakumo-sama … passed away. _

"I .. failed."

The ghost of Obito was silent, not that Kakashi expected anything else.

His first conversation with Naruto had gone pretty badly, all things considered. Upon hearing the news that Sasuke had gone completely rogue, Kakashi had traveled to the Hokage building, attempting to see Danzo before he left. Upon finding him already gone, he'd then decided to meet with Naruto.

He'd wanted to lead a team to try to capture and bring back Sasuke before the hunter-nins of the shinobi nations were sent out. He'd known of Naruto's promise to Sakura, his determination to bring the boy back no matter what , and he'd felt confident Naruto would happily agree. Probably the biggest problem would be the boy wanting to go himself, which wasn't possible...

Upon entering the room, though, he'd realized there was something off.

First of all, Naruto was still wearing that coat, an inverse color of his fathers, black flames on a red background. Newly stitched on the back of the coat was a saying "Determination , whatever the cost". That didn't sound very .. .Narutoish.

Second, Naruto was talking with two ANBU Kakashi had never seen before, who vacated the room as soon as he entered. _ROOT ANBU, wonderful. _

Naruto turned to face the copy ninja, a blank expression on his face. "Hatake-san, how may I help you?"

Kakashi had arched an eyebrow. "What happened to Kakashi-sensei, Naruto-kun?"

The boy sat down, folding his hands together. "When I sat back and tried to catalog everything you had taught me, Hatake-san, I came up with very little. Tree walking. A bit of chakra theory. A couple of tips on kunai throwing. Not a single, solitary jutsu. Tell me, Hatake-san, does that sound like the complete catalog of training a genin should have?"

Kakashi swallowed. "Naruto, I -"

The young man waved his words off. "I'm sure the Council instructed you not to bother teaching me anything worthwhile, not that you wanted to. If it had just been me that was neglected, I wouldn't even hold it against you. But you did the same thing to Sakura-chan, which tells me you just weren't really interested in us at all."

Naruto gave a thin smile that looked eerie and out of place. "But that is alright, Hatake-san. I've come to understand, in the past few weeks, a great deal about the nature of the world. And the people. I used to be a knucklehead because I honestly thought if I gave it my all and never gave up, people would see the real me."

Kakashi frowned , taking a step forward. "Naruto, I apologize for .. my deficiencies as a teacher. I won't try and pretend I didn't handle things correctly, or make some kind of weak cop-out that I had no choice. But I don't understand why you feel as if nothing will ever change. You're .. the acting Hokage, something you always dreamed of. The village idolizes you, the -"

Naruto laughed, sadly. "Hatake-san, when I was facing down Pain, after he nearly killed Hinata, I was .. trapped in my mindscape. I nearly let free the Kyuubi in my anger. My father had left a portion of his .. life energy in the seal. To talk to me , should I try such a thing. It was in that conversation that I discovered I wasn't an orphan. That I was the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki." He turned to look at the window.

"I discovered my parents couldn't marry, because the Council distrusted my mother for being a jinchuriki, even though she was loyal. I discovered that I had a godfather who never bothered to show up for me until I was twelve. I discovered that the man I called sensei had known who I was all my life, and didn't even bother to _try _and make my life better."

Kakashi wanted to speak, but something terrible and dark was in Naruto's tone.

"And when I saved the village, did the villagers apologize for the way they'd hurt me all those years, for ignoring me? For selling me bad food and milk? For chasing me out of their stores or pretending I didn't exist? No. They instead cheered me, as if I should be grateful they bothered to acknowledge me after I nearly died for them. When it became known that I was the son of the Fourth, did they admit to themselves they'd been wrong? Did they regret what they did?"

Naruto faced Kakashi squarely. "They didn't. They still don't see the me that is me. They saw me as Kyuubi, then me as the fool, then me as the hero, then me as the Fourth's Son. Never me as me. Dad was .. very disappointed in the village. And when I told him you weren't there for me, he was crushed. So no, I don't see you as .. much of anything, anymore, except a senior, excellent ninja."

That hurt more than Kakashi expected. There wasn't a lot of anger in that voice, not a lot of childish temper. It was .. disinterested. It almost sounded like Danzo talking, and Kakashi frowned. "That may be the case, Naruto . . . but how you are acting isn't you either. What happened to never giving up? To making how people saw you change?"

Naruto glanced out the window again. "I grew up, Hatake-san. Isn't that what you were always telling me I needed to do? Stop yelling, be serious, focus? I have to say, though, that I haven't given up. I'm merely doing things my way instead of letting other people decide for me."

Kakashi shook his head. "Naruto, how is that the case? Danzo is manipulating you by handing you things you aren't ready for – "

Naruto laughed. It was his usual, joyous laugh, but with a slightly dark edge to it. "Kami, that's just incredible. Danzo-sama said you would say literally those exact words to me." The mirth slid from his face, leaving a scowl that made the whisker-marks on his face stand out. "Listen to me very closely, Hatake-san. I am not being manipulated by Danzo any more than I was being manipulated by the Third, who saw fit to conceal my entire heritage from me and yet used every trick he could think of to reinforce my loyalty to a village that hated my very existence. I'm not being manipulated by him any more than I was by YOU, who didn't even care about my future as a ninja, but simply used me as a spur to train and inspire that traitor Sasuke. If Sasuke had done what I have – stopping multiple S-rank opponents, winning allies, saving the village – I doubt you'd have objected to him being promoted or put in this position."

Kakashi frowned , and shook his head again. "Naruto, you're too young to understand how dangerous Danzo's views are. The Third-"

Naruto slammed his fist on the desk. "The Third is why all of this has occurred! I know you only have one eye that's yours, but even you can't be that damned blind, believe it! The Third didn't stop Orochimaru from going rogue, and was too soft to kill him. Hell, dad told me the only reason he was even picked as Fourth is because they thought he'd be too inexperienced to do the job properly and let the Council run the village! Jiji's stupid demands for peace did nothing to stop war from finding us anyway. All it did was make us unprepared. Why should I agree with the . . philo.. the thinking of a man who thought it was cool to hide my entire damned life from me and let me suffer!?"

Naruto glared for a long moment and then looked away. "I'm not your student anymore, _sensei, _so please stop with the damned lecture. What do you want?"

Kakashi sighed. "I came to ask for a team to pursue Sasuke , to try to capture him and bring him back to Kohona. If the outcome of the Kage Summit is what I expect, they're going to class him as kill on sight, and we'll never have a chance to bring him back. I was thinking , perhaps, an eight man squad -"

Naruto gave the copy ninja an incredulous look. "What?"

Kakashi blinked. ".. Naruto, the Kages are not going to let what Sasuke did slide. If we -"

Naruto nodded. "I know. The teme decided he'd rather kill jinchuriki for power rather than return to the village. We know, from Danzo-sama's forces, that Sasuke-teme killed Itachi. He's thrown his lot in with the same people that tried to kill the village and are hunting for me. Why in Kami's name would I want him brought back alive?"

Kakashi was at a complete loss. He never, in his wildest dreams, would have imagined Naruto would give up on Sasuke. "But.. your promise -"

Naruto snorted. "I'm having to deal with life's realities, Hatake-san. I can't be the dobe , stuffing my face with ramen, pretending to be happy to cheer up everyone else. He put a chidori through my chest once, and he did his damn best to kill me when we found him again, and now he's murdered the brother of the Raikage. Even if you found him and overpowered him, do you really, honestly think anyone is going to forgive him?"

Kakashi wasn't so sure. "The village needs the Sharingan-"

Naruto gave an even louder snort. "Bullshit. The Uchiha breeds nothing but temes and traitors, I can see that now. People fawned over him, offered him everything – training, products, girls, wealth – and he threw it all away to chase after revenge. He doesn't deserve a third chance, sorry. If that's something Sakura-chan can't forgive me for, then there's not much that I can do about it. But I'm not sending a single ninja after that murderer, unless it's a kill mission."

Kakashi folded his arms. "Naruto, I think perhaps being put in this position of power has .. made you a bit blind to the consequences of your actions. If we let the other villages kill him, they might get a chance at obtaining the Sharingan for their own purpose. And worse, we don't know WHY he's gone rogue. He may still be unbalanced by Orochimaru's curse seal. Isn't it worth it to find out?"

Naruto leaned back in the chair. "Hatake-san, do you remember when you broke up that scuffle between Sasuke-teme and I on that rooftop? You actually had the audacity to lecture Ero-sennin for teaching me the Rasengan, my father's jutsu, while you had no problems with not only teaching Sasuke the Chidori, but even stealing most of Lee's taijutsu style and giving it away." Naruto paused, giving a thin smile. "I knew, really, from that moment, that no matter what I did, or how hard I tried, you would never acknowledge me. You honestly felt it was better that I have nothing than be any kind of challenge to Sasuke."

Naruto stood, slowly. "Maybe that's why you never bothered to train me even after he was gone. If I'd stayed weak, pathetic, and stupid, maybe Sasuke would never have felt like he wasn't getting strong enough. But to answer your question, Hatake-san, I already know that whatever he's doing, it's his own choice to do so."

He gestured towards the door. "You don't bother to train me, teach me, or even try to help me my entire life. You belittle everything I've ever managed to accomplish, ignore my problems, and when I overcome your handicaps and become stronger, claim that I'm immature and not ready. You repeatedly ignored Sakura-chan and I to give an unappreciative spoiled brat everything he asked for, and he still failed. He couldn't stop Haku, he couldn't stop Gaara, fuck, he couldn't even beat Lee. And even after everything I've done – everything I've trained at, mastering Sage Mode, which even Ero-sennin couldn't do , finishing the Rasengan, which my dad couldn't do, stopping Pain, saving Gaara – instead of bothering to try to make up for your mistakes, you throw Sasuke in my face?"

The boy shook his head. "Danzo-sama said that for a wielder of the Sharingan you were blinder than most. Then again, he also told me you managed to get your entire team killed so I guess it's a trend, neh? The answer is no, Hatake-san. If you disagree, feel free to take it up with the Council." He shot the copy ninja a hard, closed, look, and gestured at the door again. "You may go."

Stunned, both at the vitriol of Naruto and the fact that he had no easy answers, Kakashi left. He walked through the streets, considering what had just transpired, trying to look underneath the underneath.

Whatever Minato-sensei had left for Naruto inside the seal that held back the Kyuubi was the source of all of these changes, he was sure. Some of what Naruto said probably had some validity. But much of it was just Danzo's twisted words, he was sure.

Naruto would never be the equal of someone like Sasuke. That was simply facts. The Uchiha were the most brilliant and powerful of the many ninja clans because their Sharingan gave them unlimited flexibility and supremacy in both chakra and unarmed combat. Naruto had never been as focused as Sasuke, never had nearly as much training, and had failed multiple times in the Academy, which was pretty hard to do. A lot of Naruto's growth had come at the hands of Jiraya, who had mellowed the boy some, but the Sannin's death had wounded Naruto deeply.

Kakashi felt that Naruto needed someone else to open his eyes to the truth – and maybe that person was Sakura. Quickening his steps to leap atop the nearest rooftop, it only took him a few minutes of travel to arrive at the makeshift hospital. He was impressed at the speed at which it had been rebuilt, and even now the full replacement building was in it's final stages of construction.

It wasn't hard to find Sakura – the pink-haired girl was sitting outside on a bench on the front lawn of the new hospital, eating dispiritedly from a bento. Kakashi leapt down from a tree, hands in his pockets. "Yo."

She looked up, green eyes reddened from crying. "Kakashi-sensei." Her voice sounded tired, scratchy, and defeated. "I guess you've heard by now."

Kakashi only nodded. "That.. is what the Kage Summit is about, in part. The assault on the Raikage's family has most of Kumo angered. Apparently the jinchuriki that has gone missing was very popular among the population."

Sakura gave a sad, brittle smile. "Must be nice. Too bad Kohona wasn't like that for Naruto-kun." She sighed, picking at the rice in her bento. "Naruto-kun says the Kages are probably going to put a kill on sight order out for him and send out hunter-nins."

Kakashi nodded again. "That's … very probable, Sakura. The political aspects of it are only made more complex by the fact that many of the Nations will want to capture him to obtain the Sharingan if they can." He rubbed his chin. "That's why I wanted to put together a team, to try to track him down and capture him, and bring him back to Kohona. He'd still have to stand trial..."

Sakura looked up at him for a long moment and then, very slowly, shook her head. "Kakashi-sensei...he didn't come back. He's in with the same group that tried to kill Naruto-kun..."

Kakashi forced an upbeat note into his voice. "He may be influenced by Orochimaru's seal, still, or even tricked or coerced into participating. I know that Naruto made a promise to bring him back – "

Sakura lowered her head into her hands. "Naruto-kun .. isn't held by that promise anymore."

Kakashi stared at Sakura for a long time.

After a few seconds, Sakura gave a broken sounding giggle. "It's .. so stupid. I threw away my first friendship and hurt a boy who loved me more than anything to chase after that .. that... asshole. I would have fled the village with him...killed for him..." She wiped her eyes. "Now I see what he is. I . . . told Naruto it wasn't fair that I try to make him bring Sasuke-k .. Sasuke...back. He's already killed one person..."

She shook, her thin shoulders trembling. "What if he died trying...to fufill that stupid promise..."

Kakashi was bad at perspectives. Taking in this new one would require him to do a lot of thinking.


End file.
